The present invention relates generally to electromagnetic interference (EMI) susceptibility testing.
Conventional EMI susceptibility testing methods involve subjecting electrical equipment under test (EUT) to large, externally radiated fields and to thereby attempt to create electromagnetically induced equipment failures. Such methods quantify EMI susceptibility for the equipment under test as a whole, but provide no information on a particular failure mechanism; hence, it is very difficult to pinpoint which subcircuit is failing in the EUT. Furthermore, such methods require application of a large external field, sometimes destroying the EUT before the non-destructive susceptibility level can even be determined. Moreover, it is often difficult to externally generate the large fields required to induce failure in the EUT.
Another approach to EMI susceptibility testing involves bulk current injection (BCI), i.e., the injection of high-frequency currents into harness wires. BCI also allows for quantification of the overall board susceptibility, but as with the methods described hereinabove, it is difficult with BCI to determine which subcircuit is actually failing. And continuous energy applied using BCI can likewise destroy the EUT.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide non-destructive EMI susceptibility testing of electrical equipment which allows for quantification of equipment susceptibility and which provides information regarding particular failure mechanisms of the EUT.